Chapter 45: Monster Subjugation [1]

"Greetings, Paladin. I didn't think you would visit the church this fast. Forgive me for not welcoming you personally. I didn't know about your visitation."

"No, it's not a problem."

I was in the same room where I did my Paladin Ritual. Eliza was sitting beside me, and Sana was smiling across from me. The only thing that changed in this room was there was no bed we used for Paladin Ritual on the corner. It was already moved away.

The Archbishop wore yet another kind of clothing this time. Her hair was tied in a double bun. She wore a white leotard that emphasized her curve and showed her smooth thighs and round buttock.

Draped around her shoulders were cropped black clothes that only covered half of her breasts, extending to her wrist. She looked incredibly innocent in these clothes instead of the previous two she had worn earlier. And there was an emblem of Castitas Church hanging as a necklace around her chest.

"Fufufu, you're too kind. And if I may ask, who is this beautiful lady sitting beside you, Paladin?"

Sana looked at Eliza, who had been fidgeting nervously since the Archbishop entered the room earlier. She glanced at me, gesturing that she needed my help to answer Sana's question.

Her haughty face, when she told me not to misunderstand earlier, was replaced by a nervous expression like a small squirrel. She couldn't even utter a single word.

'No choice.'

I smiled and introduced her to Sana.

"She's Eliza Rose, the daughter of Baron Rose. I've been in their care in childhood, so I thought of repaying my debt by letting her join the monster subjugation to raise her Level."

"I-It's an honor to meet you, Archbishop Sana!" Eliza bowed her head at Sana, and then she froze, realizing what I had just said.

"Wait... monster subjugation?" She slowly turned her head to me while her body still leaned forward.

"Yeah. What is it?" I replied with a fresh smile.

Noticing what I implied when I told her I could make her raise her Level to 20 in a day, Eliza's face turned red in anger. But she couldn't even shout at me because Sana clasped her hand, taking her attention away.

"That's great! If you're Paladin's friend, then you're also my friend! It's nice to meet you, Miss Rose!"

"Y-Yes. It's my pleasure." Eliza quickly shifted her attitude as she raised her head, facing Sana. But I could hear her mumble quietly in a low voice after that, "I will remember this, Arthur! I will definitely take you somewhere you don't like!"

"I politely refuse your invitation," I whispered back to her without changing my expression. I heard a low ding inside my head, a notification that I had made progress with Eliza's requirement.

I just found out that I could turn the notification on in a low voice when I looked around my Status Menu earlier in class. This was such a convenient feature.

"Now that introduction is over." Sana turned toward me with a kind smile. "I'd like to explain the details about the monster subjugation if that's okay with you, Paladin. I am truly sorry to ask you something like this."

"It's okay. I was the one who said I would perform my duty as a Paladin."

"Fufufu, the Church is really blessed to have a kind Paladin like Sir Arthur."

'Well, it's also convenient for me, so I don't mind doing something like this.'

I was able to get Sana's and people's trust if I helped them like this. And this time, the monster subjugation was also convenient for me to train Eliza. So I didn't really mind.

This way, my reputation amongst people from Castitas Church would increase, making me a trustworthy individual. If I 'accidentally' destroyed a noble house, they would think that the noble house was the one at fault and support me.

'They are really convenient supporters.' I hid my real thoughts beneath my soft smile.

Sana explained the details about the monster that suddenly appeared near Academy City. I listened while nodding here and there. But Eliza's face paled when she heard the monster's name.

"Black Tiger? Isn't that a Level 30 monster?! We are going to subjugate something like that?" Eliza raised her voice slightly in fear.

"To be exact, there is a pack of them. From the report, 4 Black Tigers are already spotted. There could be more of them hiding near the forest." Sana corrected Eliza with a calm and collected tone.

"Four?!" This time, Eliza's body gave up, and she fell onto the couch.

I supported her with my hands and chuckled.

"Why are you panicking? It's just a pack of Black Tigers." I said, looking at her pale expression.

Eliza jumped from my hand and threw her face at me. "But it's Level 30 monsters!"

"Hey, did you forget who I am?" I asked her while flicking her forehead, making her yelp out a cute voice and holding it with both hands. "I am the Paladin. Something like this is easy." I continued.

The tsundere then pouted at me. She seemed to calm down after that flick on the forehead, which was great. At least she wouldn't be whining and complaining any longer.

"Please rest assured, Miss Rose. One squad of church knights will also tag along in this subjugation in case there are more monsters than expected. So you will be well-protected."

Sana's smile and persuasion were an effective combination to make Eliza nod.

"I-If that's the case..." She muttered. "I was suddenly asked by A- Sir Arthur to tag along with him, so I was quite surprised. Please forgive my earlier behavior."

Eliza apologized to Sana while bowing her head once more. This time, it was Sana's turn to panic a little bit.

"N-No, please don't be. As I said earlier, Sir Arthur's friend is my friend. Please just act like usual around me. I would be happy to talk normally with you!"

"I-In that case, alright." She raised her head and smiled at Sana. Her nervousness was all gone.

Looking at her, a sliver of thought flashed as the corner of my lips curled up slightly in nostalgia, 'She's really similar to that girl.'

But that was in the past. I shouldn't compare them. They were different people, and I shouldn't have gotten caught up in the past. It was just... refreshing to see an innocent gait like that; it reminded me of when I was just a naïve newbie.

"Arthur?" Eliza looked at me with her head tilted slightly.

"Yeah." I nodded. Their conversation was over.

I turned to Sana and asked, "When will the knights be able to get themselves ready? And I would like to request something from them if it's possible."

"Of course, it's possible. The knights' job shall be supporting you in the subjugation. All glory and honor will belong to you, Paladin. So you can give them the order as you see fit. They will even be willing to be bait for the monster if it's for you." She said with a smile as if their lives didn't matter.

Well, that was understandable, though. If the knights died, they could just revive in the Castitas Church the next day. That was why I also brought Eliza because I didn't need to worry about her dying.

"That's great." My smile deepened, turning into a grin. "They are really reliable."

"Indeed, they are." Sana replied with a nod.

For now, let's try to subjugate some monsters in this world.